Goumi

What it is

Also called cherry silverberry or natsugumi, goumi is the fruit of Elaeagnus multiflora. Its oblong berries hang from long stalks and are usually 1–1.5 cm (about ½ in) long. Each holds one fibrous, edible seed.

Goumi resembles its relative autumn olive, but they are different species. The shrub has fragrant, cream-coloured flowers in early spring and green leaves with silver undersides. That silver colouring appears again as tiny flecks on the red fruit.

Where it comes from

Goumi comes from China, Korea and Japan. It also grows in the eastern United States, where it has been introduced into states including Michigan and New York. In China’s northwestern Yunnan, it belongs to the wild fruits traditionally gathered by Tibetan communities in Shangri-la, Weixi and Deqin.

How it's eaten where it grows

In those Tibetan communities, goumi is eaten fresh. At the Home Orchard Education Center in Oregon City, its tang often goes into lightly sweetened juices, mead and drinking vinegar.

For the goumi vinegar, berries simmer with cider vinegar, sugar and thyme, then pass through a sieve or cheesecloth, pressing the fruit to release its juice. The strained vinegar goes into a spritzer with white wine and soda, or with grape or apple juice in place of the wine.

How it's grown

The shrub loses its leaves for winter and can reach about 2.4 m (8 ft) tall and wide. It tolerates shade and poor soil, prefers good drainage and grows best with half a day of full sun.

Plants grown from cuttings can bear fruit in three to four years. Sweet Scarlet, Red Gem and Carmine are named varieties grown this way.

When and where you'll find it

In Philadelphia, goumi usually ripens from late May to early June. In the Tibetan communities of Diqing, gathering usually falls in June and July. In Oregon, goumi grows at the Home Orchard Education Center in Oregon City, a working orchard that welcomes visitors to explore during its open hours.